The State | IN BRIEF / SAN FRANCISCO

Man Guilty in Swindling Out-of-State Pet Owners

A 40-year-old man has pleaded guilty to wire fraud after swindling people who had lost their pets.

William Arnold Muniz scoured out-of-state newspapers, then contacted people who placed ads looking for their cats and dogs. He told them he found their animals and needed money to return them, according to federal prosecutors.

A woman in Denver sent Muniz $172 for her lost cat and a man in Portland, Ore., sent him $900 for his yellow Labrador retriever.

None of the information was true. Muniz will be sentenced Feb. 6. He faces up to 10 years in prison and $500,000 in fines.